Temporary Living Conditions
by WhiteMoonDragon
Summary: After a fierce battle, the gang is shoved down the bone eater's well! And now they're stuck in Kagome's time for who knows how long! What are they going to do? Stay with Kagome's family? Go to high school? Now that's a guarantee for chaos!
1. Leap of Faith?

A/N: Ok, I've had this idea bugging the hell out of me for weeks and I just had to write it down. And now that I've edited it, it seems like it makes a good story. Hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: La la la la la la! I can't hear you! I can't hear you! I do so own him! (Rumiko's lawyer's get a megaphone) HE'S NOT YOURS! (falls out of chair, now deaf) Ok! He's not mine!

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**Chapter 1: Leap of Faith?**

"Damn it!" Inuyasha mutters as he grips his bleeding arm.

"Inuyasha, duck!" A voice yells from behind him. He complies and hears an arrow wiz by where his head once was. The glowing arrow races towards it's target, but is knocked away as though it were a fly.

"Nothing's working!" Miroku yells.

The day had started like any other. Inuyasha had stole Shippo's breakfast, a simple stew Kaede had made. Shippo cried. Kagome sat Inuyasha. Miroku took advantage of Sango being distracted. Sango slapped him. Miroku got an early nap.

But once the afternoon had come, that's when the day was no longer ordinary. A youkai appeared on the outskirts of Kaede's village, searching for an innocent humans to satiate his blood lust. At first glance they could tell it's a large bear youkai and nothing more then a pest, but they underestimated it's power. The youkai had obviously been of high status in it's clan. It's strength was astounding at first, because it didn't have a shard. But now it was scary.

They had been battling for a half hour now, and nothing seems to touch him. His reflexes are like lightning fast, there for he can block and dodge anything they try.

Sango whips her hiraikotsu over her head from behind the youkai, taking advantage of him being distracted by her friends. It grazes his back, but is deep enough to have blood spill over the warm grass. He roars in pain before looking at Sango, his red eyes glaring daggers at his attacker. He lifts his paw to strike her down, claws catching the afternoon sun. But just as his paw begins to descend, Miroku pushes Sango out of the way.

Inuyasha sees an opportunity. He ignores the painful sting in his arm and lifts his sword. He leaps into the air, bringing Tetsuiga down on the creature's left shoulder. Again, he roars in pain before looking at Inuyasha. He swings his paws at him, but Inuyasha dodges each one with tiring grace.

Kagome backs up to get a better angle to fire her arrow. She hits something solid with her foot as she takes another step back. She looks down. It's the bone eater's well. She looks up. The battle had been purposely led away from the village, but they never realized what direction they'd been heading.

She looks around to get a definite of where her friends are.

Inuyasha is making fruitless attempts at striking the youkai with his Tetsuiga. Miroku and Sango are on Kirara, looking for an opening. Meanwhile, Shippo is on the sidelines. He doesn't fight that often in battles, but his transformation tricks are used whenever needed.

Suddenly, Kagome sees an opening. She knocks her arrow and releases it with a twang in a matter of seconds. It races off in a blinding pink light. _Hit the mark, hit the mark!_ Kagome screams in her head.

It does.

The bear youkai roars in excruciating pain.

At that point, everything seems to move in slow motion.

The youkai turns to glare at Kagome. He swipes at Kirara and causes them to fall. Shippo sees this and transforms into his balloon to catch them, but the impact is so strong, he transforms back. All four lay about five yards in front of Kagome, unconscious.

He lunges towards the young miko.

Inuyasha sees the creature's focus change towards her. He turns and pushes off to reach her.

The youkai extends his paw.

Inuyasha approaches Kagome.

Miroku and Sango regain consciousness and begin to sit up. They see the bear youkai approaching them. Both franticly scoot back in desperate attempts to get away. Kirara awakens in Sango's arms. She would transform to protect her mistress, but not enough energy is in her to do so. Shippo remains unconscious in Miroku's lap.

Inuyasha reaches Kagome's side and is about to lift her to safety, but doesn't have enough time.

The heal of the bear youkai drags on the ground. Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara get caught between the paw and Kagome with Inuyasha at her side.

Kagome and Inuyasha hit the bears paw and are pushed back. They feel the wood of the well snap against their bodies. Next thing they know, they begin to fall down the well.

They see the neck of the bear behind it's paw for a brief second before it completely disintegrates from Kagome's arrow. The paw is still falling with them down the well and they begin to see flecks of the mystical blue of the time warp, but only for no more then half a breath.

Those who are conscious, slip into darkness from hitting the sides of the stone well.

* * *

_Ow, my head._ Kagome thinks as she feels a headache throb in the back of her skull. She moans and tries to open her eyes. Darkness. She sees nothing but deep, eerie darkness.

She blinks a few times and her eyes begin to adjust.

She now sees a roof. An old, rotting timber roof on the outside of the stone well.

_Wait a minute. A roof?_ Kagome says to herself. She turns her head to look around her.

Inuyasha is laying with his head propped up against the stone wall, the rest of his body sprawled out on the dirt. Sango's legs overlap Inuyasha's and she's propped up against Miroku's shoulder. Miroku is in a similar position as Sango, but his head is leaned against her hiraikotsu. Shippo is in his lap and Kirara is in Sango's. Where as Kagome is laying next to Inuyasha, her head on his chest. All except herself appear to be unconscious.

_Uh oh._ Kagome thinks as realization hits her. _This can't be good.

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_

A/N: What do you guys think? I'd like to know what you guys think about the idea. Also, this is the first fight scene I've ever done, tell me what you though about that too. Review pretty please with sprinkles on top!


	2. BandAids, Rice Wine, Offudas and Cookie

A/N: (blink, blink) OH MY GOSH! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thank you soooooooooo much for all the reviews! (hugs reviewers) You guys deserve cookies! (passes out biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig cookies) Enjoy! And thanks again!

Disclaimer: (digs out some change out of pocket) I don't think 43 cents, lint, a paper clip and a hair band is enough to buy him.

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**Chapter 2: Band-aids, Rice Wine, Offudas and Cookies**

Kagome begins to sit up. Her headache is still throbbing from hitting the side of the well when she fell. She also can feel a bruise on her back from being slammed into it. She winces when she puts some weight on her left hand to push herself up.

_I must have sprained it when the youkai pushed Sango and Miroku into me._ Kagome thinks as she examines it.

At last, she leans up against the side of the well. She looks at her friends, thinking about what to do.

_They must have been able to pass through since Inuyasha and I passed at the same time. So they must be able to go back the same way. _Kagome looks at the gash on Inuyasha's arm and the numerous scratches along Shippo's face. _Mama should fix them up from the battle before we go back though. They deserve proper medical attention._

But at that moment, it seems fate wanted to have fun with Kagome's definition of medical attention. All of the sudden, a large bucket of rice wine and offudas are dumped into the well. Everyone wakes up to a start.

"Ugh! What the hell is that smell?" Inuyasha gags as he holds his arm up to inspect his dripping kimono.

Kagome sniffs a strand of hair and peals an offuda off her hand. "Rice wine and offudas."

Everyone looks at her.

"GRAMPS!" Kagome yells.

Inuyasha and Shippo cover their now ringing ears.

"Ah ha! I told you Souta! It worked again!" She hears her grandfather say from the lip of the well.

Souta pokes his head in to look at her. "Hey Kagome! Inuyasha!" He waves at them but then frowns suddenly. "Who are they?" He asks as he points to the others in the well.

Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara look up at him and frown as well.

"Kagome, who are those people, and why are they dressed so strange?" Sango asks as she looks at Kagome.

Kagome wrings out a lock of hair, stalling to get ideas of how to explain what happened.

"Um." Kagome decides to go with blunt. "The bear youkai we were fighting pushed us all down the well at the same time. So, um, yah. You guys are in my time." Kagome looks at her friends. Blank expressions are plastered upon their faces.

"Your time?" Miroku says, completely confused.

Kagome gives a heavy sigh. "I'll explain in a little bit. But right now, lets get out of the well."

They nod in agreement.

Kagome then turns to the rope ladder to her left an begins to climb. She reaches the lip of the well and climbs out to face her grandfather and younger brother.

"I think this is yours." She says as she hands her grandfather a dripping offuda from her hair.

He gives a childish smile. "They did work though."

"They did not! The only thing they did was wake us up from being unconscious!" Kagome yells at him.

"Uh, Kagome?" A tiny finger pokes her calf. "I'm cold."

Kagome looks down and sees Shippo shivering from the cold rice wine. She picks him up and cradles him against her chest. She looks back and sees all her friends standing there, wine dripping off of their hair and cloths.

"Let's go outside, it'll be warmer there." She says as she climbs the stairs. She opens the sliding door and is temporarily blinded by the bright light, as well as her friends. She steps towards her house, hoping her friends don't bombard her with questions.

Lucky for her, all except Inuyasha are awestricken about what they see.

Hard stone-like walking paths, metal birds soaring in the sky, and a house that sits in the middle of the grounds. They don't know what to say or ask, everything is so foreign.

Kagome walks towards her house, friends in tow along with her grandfather and brother who are looking at the strangers with confused expressions.

At last, she reaches the back door. She slides it open and is greeted with the smell of baking cookies.

"Mama! I'm home!" She says as she persuades her friends inside.

"Oh Kagome! I'm so glad your back!" Her mother says before she rounds the corner from the living room. "I'm making some cookies, they'll be done in-" She stops talking when she sees a fox-child in her daughter's arms. She looks past her and sees two oddly dressed humans, one with a tiny two-tailed cat in her arms as well as Inuyasha.

"Mama, these are my friends from the feudal era." Kagome says as she nods to her friends behind her. "This is Shippo." She lifts her arms to indicate who he is. "The man in the robes is Miroku. The girl with the boomerang is Sango. And the cat in her arms is Kirara."

Her mother looks at her daughters friends and gives a happy smile. "Well welcome!" She says cheerfully. "It's very nice to finally meet you! I've heard much about you guys!"

"I-It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Higurashi." Sango says with a slight bow.

"Yes, very nice to meet you. We have also heard much about you." Miroku says as he too bows his head.

Suddenly, Shippo jumps in Kagome's arms. "Eek!" He squeaks in shock. He looks down and sees the boy that was in the well house.

"Souta! You scared Shippo!" Kagome says as she glares at her brother.

"Sorry. I just didn't think that his tail was real." He says as lets go of the fluffy appendage.

"Oh yah!" Kagome says as she looks at her friends. "This is Souta, my little brother. And the crazy old man who threw rice wine and offudas on us is my grandpa."

"Rice wine?" Her mother says. "Dad! I was going to use that in the stew for dinner!"

Her father races out the back door, suddenly eager to finish the chores.

"Beware Shippo, he'll be drowning you in sutras by the end of the day." Inuyasha says as he slumps down into a chair.

"Ah! He'll purify me!" Shippo says as he shivers.

"Relax Shippo. They don't work." Inuyasha says in an annoyed tone.

"I'm right here you know!" His voice caries through an open window.

"Kagome, I thought only you and Inuyasha could pass through the well." Souta says to change the subject.

Kagome gives a sigh. "Souta, can you get the first-aid kit. I'll explain what happened as I bandage everyone up from a battle."

Souta races upstairs with a nod from his mom.

"Oh, have a seat you guys." Kagome says to her friends as she nods towards the chairs.

The tentatively sit down, still unsure of everything.

Souta reappears with a large white box with a red plus sign on it. "Here sis." He says as he hands it to her.

"Thanks." Kagome says as she places Shippo on the table.

For the next half hour, Kagome and her mother tend to the wounds of her friends from the battle. Souta sits in one of the chairs, observing and examining his sister's friends. Kagome explained what she thinks had happened as she tended to the gash on Inuyasha's arm earlier, but most of the time they were silent. Kagome and her mom remained focused on wrapping gauze and applying anti-infection creams, whereas Inuyasha remained focused on what to do when they got back to the feudal era, and the others just sat and looked around at all the foreign objects in the room.

Just as Mrs. Higurashi applied a band-aid to Shippo's cheek, the timer for the cookies went off. Everyone jumped at the sudden noise.

"Sorry." Mrs. Higurashi says. "The cookies are done." She walks towards the oven and grabs a rag.

Everyone watches as she removes a plate of chocolate chip cookies from the oven.

"How did those cook in there? It's just a metal box." Sango asks as she examines it from her chair.

"It's hard to explain." Mrs. Higurashi asks. "Think of it as the heat of a fire in metal coils."

"Oh." Sango says.

"We have to wait a few minutes for them to cool before we can eat them." Mrs. Higurashi says as she fans the rag over them.

Kagome finishes putting gauze over a cut on Kirara's side and looks at her mom. "You can put some in a bag, we should head back, Kaede is probably wondering where we are."

Her mother nods and begins to pack the cookies into a bag.

"Ok, we should be able to go back the same way we got here." Kagome explains to her friends.

They nod and get up from the table.

"It was very nice to meet you Mrs. Higurashi." Miroku says as he shakes her hand.

"Yes, very." Sango says as she keeps a close eye on Miroku's 'possessed' hand.

"Bye Mama!" Kagome says as she heads to the well.

As soon as they reach the well, Kagome senses something's wrong.

"Hold on." Kagome says. She looks down. It looks the same, but something just doesn't seem right. She leaps into the well, expecting to pass through. But instead lands hit's the ground. Hard ground. "Ok! Definitely pulled a muscle!" She calls.

Inuyasha leaps down into the well.

Nothing happens.

He picks Kagome up and leaps out.

"Why won't the well let us through?" Kagome asks Inuyasha.

"I don't know." He glares at the well.

"Well, Kaede did say that the well probably allows us to pass through because of the youkai auras that still lay in it. The youkai that we fought was really strong. It's paw fell with us, so maybe it overpowered the well!" Kagome says.

"That would make sense." Miroku says.

"But what does it mean?" Shippo asks.

"It means we're stuck here." Inuyasha says.

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A/N: I'm sorry that was soooooooooooooo boring! It's basically a filler, everything really starts in the next chapter. Review please! The more reviews I get, the faster I update! 


	3. First Night

A/N: AWWWWWWWWWWW! Thank you sooooooooooooooo much you guys! (passes out cake) I'm surprised how many people like my story! Oh! And sorry for being gone so long without an update. I had a huge debate tournament to go to. (groans) Public Forum is not interesting. You have to talk for over half an hour with a partner against a group trying to persuade the judge that your right. Preparation and the tournament itself takes a lot of time. I had to debate on Friday from 4-9 and Saturday from 9-7! Ok, enough of my babbling, onto the story!

Disclaimer: My birthday is coming up, so I hope I can get him then!

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**Chapter 3: First Night**

**-Back In Feudal Japan-**

Kaede races along the path towards the well. The battle had gone on for an agonizingly long amount of time and the group hadn't returned. She digs her heals into the horse's side, begging it to go faster. The other warriors of the village scramble to keep up behind her, arrows and spears in hand.

They break into the clearing by the well and Kaede's halts the animal to an immediate stop. The rotting carcass of the bear youkai lays in the middle of the field. But that's not what caused Kaede to lose the memory of how to breath. An arrow is stuck in the remnants of the bear's neck, the flesh around it almost gone from the purified weapon. It's obvious the youkai is dead, but one thing is missing from the youkai.

His right arm.

Kaede looks around the field. Blood is splattered everywhere. Trees, rocks, the grass, the well.

The well!

Kaede slides off the horse and rushes to the well.

The wood on one side is gone, only splinters remain. She looks inside and there lays the arm. The joint where the arm meets the shoulder is gone, causing it to be just long enough to fill the well to the brim.

The other village warriors scramble to her side.

"What's wrong lady Kaede?" A warrior pants.

"The well, the link to where Kagome came from. The group must have been pushed down the well by the bear youkai in a fruitless attempt to destroy them. But just as they fell, it's arm fell from it's shoulder, blocking the link for them to come back." Kaede says softly.

The warriors look at each other.

"What does that mean?" One asks.

"It means they are trapped in Kagome's time, and I don't know how long it'll be for the well to neutralize to a point where they can come back." Kaede says as she bows her head.

**-Back In Kagome's Time-**

Mrs. Higurashi leans back into her chair. Kagome had just told her about the problem, and now she was thinking about what to do.

She gives a soft sigh after a few minutes, then looks at her daughter's friends. "Well, you are all welcome to stay here until the well reopens. It may be strange with the time difference, but I think that's the best we can do."

Kagome sighs as well and looks at her friends. "I guess. We don't know how long it'll be till the well reopens, so I guess all we can do is sit and wait. We should plan on them staying for a long time though."

Her mother nods. "What rooms should they stay in?"

Kagome looks at the stairs a ways behind her and then at her friends. "Well, Sango can stay in my room, my bed is big enough for both of us. Miroku and Inuyasha can stay in the guest room, it's a queen's sized bed. And I guess Shippo can stay in Souta's room, he's small, so a cushion and baby blanket on the floor would do. " A soft mew comes from Sango's arms. "And Kirara is free to roam about the house as she pleases." Kagome adds with a smile. Kirara gives a happy chirp.

"That's fine. Why don't you show them around the house and explain some of the things we have in this time. Like the phone, T.V., and bathroom items." Her mother says. "Also," She eyes the weapons her daughter's friends poses. "You might want to put the weapons away. They don't need them, and I don't want Souta to get a hold of them."

Kagome looks at her friends and gives an audible sigh. This will be a very long day.

About five hours later, Kagome flops onto her bed. She had spent the rest of the day explaining the items in her time and only items! She has yet to explain traditions, school, jobs and some of the lingo!

Kagome groans, but cherishes the time alone in her room. It had been a lot harder then she thought to explain all the items in her time. She closes her eyes for a few seconds, hoping to have some time before going downstairs for dinner.

"Everyone! Dinner!"

_That is so not fair!_ Kagome mentally screams. She gets up and walks downstairs. Everyone is seated at the table, squeezed together because the table is only meant for six at the most. Her mother and grandfather at the end, her brother to her mothers left, Shippo next to him sitting on a phone book, Miroku next to him, Sango sitting on her grandfathers left, Inuyasha next to her, and a small space next to him.

_Wow. They've already figured out not to have Shippo or Inuyasha near gramps for a while._

She looks towards the kitchen and sees Buyo and Kirara eating out of bowls filled with cat nip and fat scraps from their dinner.

She sits down and looks at her friends.

"Well, dig in everyone!" Her mother says happily.

Kagome's family digs in right away, but her friends eye the food before eating.

"This is magnificent!" Miroku exclaims after tasting some dumplings.

"Yes, very delicious." Sango says.

Shippo and Inuyasha don't say anything, they're to busy devouring the food.

After dinner, Kagome decided to teach Sango how the shower worked. It didn't take long, it was just a matter of explaining how to adjust the temperature since she had been using the shampoo and some of the other items that Kagome had used in her time.

Kagome had just shut the bathroom door when she heard a loud cry.

"KAGOME!"

Kagome immediately races towards her brothers room, the source of the cry. She bursts into the room and sees Shippo on the ground, trying to back away from Souta's closet. The door is open, and all along the bottom lay his stuffed animals.

Kagome picks the terrified kitsune up off the floor and cradles him against her chest. "Shippo, what's wrong?" She asks gently.

He points at the stuffed animals. "A-All those poor animals! T-They're dead!" He studiers.

Kagome sighs. "They aren't real, Shippo." She says. "They're like dolls, made of cloth to look like animals"

He looks up at her and then at the animals. His gaze lingers at one in particular.

A red fox.

Souta had won it at a carnival a couple years ago. It's the size of a regular fox, but more so a plushie.

Kagome picks the fox up and cradles it in her arms next to Shippo. He studies it, touching its plastic brown eyes, petting it's fur, and squeezing it's leg. Kagome can see tears weld up in his eyes. No matter how long it had been since his father had died, it still hurt him. And now that a stuffed animal is next to him that looks so much like his deceased father, all of his memories return in a flash.

"It's ok Shippo. You can cry." Kagome says as she gently rocks him, hoping to comfort him.

He shakes his head, refusing to let his tears fall.

"Shippo, you can't be strong all the time. Holding back all those feelings only hurt you. It's ok to cry." She says softly.

He tries to hold back a sob, but it only causes his tears to finally start to fall.

He had held back all the anger and sorrow for so long, it feels good to let it all out. He wraps his arms around the stuffed animal's neck and burrows his head in it's fur.

Kagome cradles both in her arms while rocking them back and forth. Tears begin to fall from her eyes as well. Sympathy for his loss in each tear as they land on the toy's head.

After about twenty minutes, Shippo cries himself asleep. Kagome gently lays him on the cushion her mother had laid out along with several small blankets earlier. He gives a soft whimper from the sudden loss of warmth, but stops when Kagome tucks the blanket around him. She gives him a soft kiss on the cheek before leaving Souta's room.

Inuyasha leaps off the windowsill and into Goshinboku. Kagome's words repeat over and over in his mind. _You can't be strong all the time. Holding back all those feelings only hurts you. It's ok to cry._ Inuyasha shakes his head, trying to stop those words, but they're only replaced by the image of Kagome and Shippo.

He had lost his mother and father too. He never cried either. His father had died right after his birth, protecting him and his mother. He never knew him. His mother died when he was still a child as well. He couldn't cry then either, he had been chased out of his village and left to die, alone.

He looks up at the stars. They're the same stars that they had looked at in the feudal era, but they're harder to see.

_Nothing's easy to see. Today was something we couldn't see. Our future is something we can't see. We don't know what's going to happen next. I guess the only thing we can do, is try to make do with what we can see in front of us. _He sighs and looks at the windows of his new home. Lights are on in every room, except for one, Souta and Shippo's. _Fate's strings have tied us in a knot, how are we going to untangle them?

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_

A/N: Ok, that was a big awwwwwww moment, but I was just so tempted to write that. Also, a lot of you may think that Inuyasha's thoughts were OOC, but I personally don't think so. Inuyasha is complex. He had been abused by the distain hatred of hanyou all his life, so he had to build up some form of an optimistic view. Why else would he have taken a chance with Kikyo? She didn't share that hatred, therefore he took a chance. Also, he spent a lot of time with her, so eventually her views rubbed off on him, along with Kagome's. Also, several reviewers have asked for me to write more. Yah, these chapters are short, but they will get much longer, trust me. That's all! Review please!


	4. Cloths, Chores and Water Fights

A/N: I'm really sorry for not updating in forever! I hit one of those hated writers blocks! I swear, I went through 10 versions of this chapter before I was remotely happy with the chapter. (sigh) Well, I'm still not happy with it, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Well, once again, sorry you guys!

Disclaimer: I only own my overused imagination.

**Chapter 4-Cloths, Chores, and Water Fights

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**

"Yowch! It bit me!" Sango glares at the elastic garment.

Laughing, Kagome reassures her friend for what feels like the umpteenth time, that the elastic isn't possessed. "Look." Kagome holds up the bra up, showing her the elastic back. "It's stretchy, it's meant to expand and fit you. It's elastic." She shoots the bra to her friend. "It doesn't bite, and it definitely, won't kill you."

About ten minutes later, Sango is finally dressed in modern cloths; a light, summer dress with a dark, forest green background covered in beautiful, pink oleander blossoms complete with the trim and a small tie around her waist in a matching pink.

"Do you like it?" Kagome asks as Sango looks in the mirror.

"I love it! It's beautiful!" Sango exclaims. She twirls in front of the mirror, admiring the beauty and comfort of the clothing.

Kagome too is in a summer dress. Her's is a light lime green with golden leaves and blue butterflies supporting a golden tie as well.

"Gah!" A loud thud shakes the second floor.

"Sounds like Inuyasha isn't having any luck with my dad's old cloths…" Kagome says with a grin.

"For the fifth time, you put these on, then the jeans!" A younger voice says.

"Like this?" Miroku questions.

"NO!" Both Sango and Kagome swear they can hear a regular thud against the wall.

"I don't think Miroku and Inuyasha are going to be ready any time soon." Sango says. She begins to snicker when another loud thud is heard.

"No point in waiting." Kagome says. "We'll be here for a long time."

Both girls head downstairs snickering at the sounds coming from the opposite room.

When they reach the kitchen, they see Shippo perched on a counter next to a pot where Kagome's mom is adding some sliced chicken.

"Shippo, can you add the curry powder?" She asks. "Only a palm full."

Shippo looks at the spices and picks up sunflower yellow one. "This one?" He asks cutely.

Smiling, Mrs. Higurashi nods.

Shippo adds the powder and watches the mixture turn the same shade of yellow as the powder.

"Looks like you have a partner in crime." Kagome says from behind them.

"Kagome!" Shippo jumps into Kagome's arms and gives her a hug, more like a half hug because of his tiny arms. "Your mom is teaching me more about herbs and cooking. She says I'm the best assistant she's ever had!"

Kagome returns the hug with a big smile.

Shippo looks at her and Sango's outfits. "You guys look pretty." He says.

Sango's cheeks flush a little. Sure she had been waiting for someone to say that, but Shippo wasn't the one she was wanting to compliment her. Too bad it was unlikely he would say that without lifting his head out of the gutter.

"Ah! Kagome, Sango! I need your help cleaning the shrine grounds, we have an elementary school coming for a field trip tomorrow." Kagome's grandfather steps through the sliding door with a smile. "I need the shrine house full of items from the feudal era organized, the floor cleaned and the display cases cleaned. Also, please hose the grounds down to get rid of the dirt and leaves."

Kagome groans and rolls her neck back to look at the ceiling. "Gramps," she wines.

"Sure Mr. Higurashi (I know they would pronounce it Higurashi-something; but I don't understand all that. If any of you guys can give me a list of the meanings I would greatly appreciate it!)." Sango says.

Kagome groans louder at her friends agreement. "Fine." She grabs Sango's hand and leads her to the shrine house holding the feudal era items. "You're going to really regret agreeing to do this." She says. Opening the doors, she looks at Sango; and for a second, she could have sworn the girl had a heart attack.

"Finally, I'm dressed and out of here!" Souta puts his face in his hand.

"Your shirt is on backwards." He mumbles.

Inuyasha growls and puts it on straight.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" A female voice yells.

All three of the boys race to the open window. Standing in front of a good sized shrine house, are Kagome and Sango. Sango is gapping while Kagome practically pulling her hair out of her head.

"GRAMPS! YOU DISPICABLE BEING! THIS IS CRAZY!" Kagome yells. _I knew this place would be a mess, but this is crazy!_

Inuyasha leaps out the window and stands next to Kagome. He takes one look at the building and his jaw drops. Inside, there are boxes everywhere; some tipped over with the contents spilling out, others stacked in random places and some are filled with items that look like the mummified imp hand Kagome got as a 'gift' for her 15th birthday. Also, the cases are all mucked up from who-knows-what plus a vary, thick layer of dust.

"What the hell is all this!" Inuyasha says.

"Feudal era stuff." Kagome doesn't look at him, only the contents in the shrine house. "We're having a bunch of elementary school kids coming tomorrow, and we have to clean this up."

"Keh! Good luck with that!" He turns to head back to the house, but the collar of his red tank top is grabbed by non-other then Kagome.

"Oh no, you're helping us. And once Miroku gets out here, he will too." Kagome growls.

"And what will I do when I get here?"

Sango grabs Miroku's shoulders. "Help us clean this." She turns him so he can see the shrine house.

He gapes at the mess, but then composes himself and gives a sly smile. "This is nothing to be bothered by. It'll take only a few seconds." He sticks out his right hand with his left hand on the beads.

All three practically tackle the monk as soon as realization hits them. But Sango is the closest; she quickly grabs his hand and thrusts it up to face the sky, but gets dangerously close to the monk's face.

"Why Sango, if you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was ask." Miroku says smoothly.

Oh, Miroku got a kiss alright; but not the one he had in mind.

"Must you hit me so hard?" Miroku asks as rubs his soar cheek. "After all, it is my cursed hand."

"Right…" She says so slowly. "Just help us clean." Sango shoves a broom in his hand and turns back to the shrine house.

About two hours later, all the display cases are cleaned, the floor is swept, and only one box is left to be put in it's place.

"Done!" Kagome says as she shoves it in place.

"About damn time!" Inuyasha wipes some dust off of his cheek.

"Wait, didn't your grandfather say something about a hose, Kagome?" Sango asks. She tries to wipe the dust off the summer dress she's wearing, but no luck. She gives an exasperated sigh and folds her arms.

"Oh yah. That's nothing to worry about!" Kagome exclaims. She heads out of the shrine house and grabs the hose on the side. "All we have to do is spray water over the cement to get the dirt off." She explains.

Miroku sees a hose on the side of the house and picks it up. "So how does this wor-" He squeezes the handle and water spews all over Sango.

"Sango…You know I didn't mean it." He backs away slowly as she glares at him through her wet hair.

She grabs the hose Kagome is holding and douses the monk.

Kagome laughs as they spray each other repeatedly…That is, till Sango managed to duck and Kagome got soaked. Wasting no time, she yanks the hose from Sango and sprays Miroku.

Inuyasha watches from the sidelines as his friends repeatedly spray one another. They had originally started spraying one another out of anger, but now it was merely to goof off.

Kagome laughs as she hit's the monk square in the face; succeeding in getting all the dust off his face.

"You guys have no idea how stupid you look." Inuyasha says with a smirk.

All three turn to face him. Miroku's purple shirt is practically suction-cupped to his chest and his jeans are practically falling to his ankles from the weight of the water. Sango and Kagome's dresses are also drenched with the sleeves sitting on their biceps ratter then their shoulders. But non-the-less, all are clean and free from the thick layers of dust that had been covering them not to long ago.

Their blank faces quickly turn to grins of malice.

Backing away slowly, Inuyasha tries to think of an escape route from the hoses.

No luck.

Kagome squeezes the handle and says happily, "Now it's the dog's turn for a bath!"

Inuyasha falls to his butt from slipping and being pummeled by the hoses, nearly squishing a dozing Buyo and Kirara laying out in the sun. Getting up swiftly, he grabs Miroku's hose and fires back at the young miko.

The once free-for-all water fights turns into a 2 on 2 and the girls take shelter behind a tree.

_I guess living here won't be so bad._ Sango thinks as she dashes behind a shrine house. _As long as I have all my friends here with me, nothing can go wrong._

Sango didn't know how far from the truth she was.

* * *

A/N: (backs away slowly) I know you guys disserve a million times better of an update then that! I'm sorry! I guess my only excuse is that my mind's been in la-la-land for a long time. But any who, those who also read _Never Given A Chance_, I'll be updating that soon! And I swear I'll do much better on my updates. And yes, to those who read the last sentence of this chapter, something will happen! (grins evilly)

Review please!


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